When I was in middle school I was a super avid fan and regular poster on the fan forums for a certain artist who shall remain unnamed…we would organise small private gigs for the other members of the fan forum. It was actually such a cute lil community! Then yeah I basically found out that music industry was a thing and that you could work behind the scenes. I have such a love for music and the thought of being able to play a part in an artist’s career was so exciting to me. So I just got stuck into it and went to lots of workshops + did work experience training / internships from about age 14 onwards. When I turned 18 I got a job booking bands at a few clubs around Melbourne – then went from job to job in the music industry after that which led me to where I am now. Over the years I have gained experience almost all facets in the industry including artist management, tour management, bookings, tour promotions, records labels, admin + operations, grant writing, corporate events, brand partnerships…you name it and I’ve probably done it haha.

I’m now at Mushroom Group and work I across multiple areas – predominantly across electronic and dance music. I’m a booking agent (Skin On Skin, C.FRIM, CRUSH3d, Surusinghe, Fukhed, Flansie), artist manager (Pretty Girl, CLYPSO), tour promoter (Previously have toured Interplanetary Criminal, Breaka, Bakey, Marlon Hoffstadt, Prozak) and I work on the programming team for Boiler Room festivals in Australia. I also co-run an Alternative RnB / Hip Hop label called Valve Sounds. 

I am such a big music fan. I was classically trained in a few instruments for many years throughout primary school and high school – but I found myself incapable of actually being able to compose music (which is why I think it’s such a gift and blessing whenever someone can!) Then in high school I realised that working behind the scenes in the music industry was a thing – which allowed me to still be involved in the scene but without being an artist myself.

Not at all. I personally did go to university but they were for non-music related things. I have a Bachelor of Arts – and then I did half a post-graduate course in Law before giving up – but honestly I remember almost nothing from school. I was already working 5 days a week in music, while balancing full-time university on the side, as well as partying almost every night so it was a lot haha. I definitely learnt the most out of the practical jobs, internships, assisting and shadowing work + randomly meeting people while I was out and about, as opposed to anything from a degree. It’s a very relationship based industry…I think almost every job I’ve had in music I’ve gotten via already knowing someone at that company on a personal level first. 

Hmm I’m not sure to be honest. There’s been many. I guess being on the The Music Network’s 30 Under 30 list was cool…awards and things are a nice token of recognition, BUT I feel like at the end of the day the thing that brings me most joy is being able to make a living doing jobs I love, with the people and music that I love, that also allows me to travel the world. It makes “winning” so much more enjoyable to me when there’s genuine love involved.

I love going to my artists’ headline shows because they’re a tangible way of seeing all the hard work that gets put in behind the scenes with releases. With all the dramas and stress that inevitably teams will face along the way, they seem to pay off and be worth it. I was trying to figure out the other day how many live shows I’ve been to in my life and I think it would surely be at least 600+ or so…I wish I’d started writing down all the gigs that I’ve attended since the beginning, cos I honestly can’t remember all of them. Someone needs to make a platform like Letterboxd but for gigs. 

There’s a few things that are super important to me when it comes to consideration on signing an artist:

1. Branding – what is their visual branding like? This is the first thing I notice, and I believe that visual aesthetics are just as important as the music. We are so overexposed to so many things everyday around us – tv adverts, songs, memes, Tik Toks – it’s so hard to get a person to even stop for more than 1 second to notice you before hitting ‘next’. There needs to be a strong, unique visual branding – as well as an artist ‘story’ to make them unique and stand out from the crowd.
2. Ambition – if you want to make music your full-time career and be able to live off it, then you need to be willing to put in the work and be consistent with it. I respect the hustle! I find it so lame when people think it’s not cool to “try” or promote yourself… If you’re not willing to work hard for yourself, why should other people work hard on you? You have to really want it and have that drive.
3. I need to like them on a personal level. This is a non-negotiable for me, no matter how much money something or someone will make me. 

• BE KIND TO YOURSELF, BE KIND TO OTHERS
• MORALS > $
• FEELING EMOTIONS IS NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF, IT’S WHAT MAKES US HUMAN
• HAVE COMPASSION & PATIENCE 
• BE HAPPY WITH THE LIFE YOU LIVE TODAY IF YOU WERE TO DIE TOMORROW
• ITS OK TO SAY NO
• PROTECT YOUR ENERGY – REMOVE YOURSELF FROM SITUATIONS WITH NEGATIVE ENERGY
• BE THE PERSON YOU NEEDED IN LIFE

My business partner Sasha. We’ve been working together for around 10 years now including Valve Sounds. We both wouldn’t be the people we are today if we hadn’t met. The industry can be lonely af so it’s nice to have someone alongside you that you can navigate it with – whether that be bouncing ideas off each other, asking each other for advice, encouraging each other, or just venting about something annoying that just happened.

Believe in yourself. You deserve to be here! 

I just want to help play a role in having music exist in the world.

No. I think gender diversity has definitely somewhat made some improvement in Australia (there is still much more to be done though) – however cultural diversity is still lacking heavy. The industry here is so white! We need more people in senior positions (or tbh in any positions) from different cultural backgrounds, especially women of colour. There really aren’t many. Australia as a whole is quite a multicultural place when it comes things like food & restaurants, but when it comes to the music industry behind the scenes + festival lineups it’s so vanilla. I think part of it comes down to us having a smaller population, so there’s fewer amounts of jobs going around in senior positions – which leads to people getting comfortable in the same job for a long time and not much room for new people to enter. 

I would like to see more women of colour + other minorities in positions of power who are able to make decisions, or at least who help consult on things. 

Work ethic! We are honestly spoilt in Australia when it comes to quality of life. Our salaries are typically higher than places like UK & USA, but our cost of living is lower for better quality things. I think that Australians can often take what we have for granted, and there is a sense of complacency when it comes to work, and a ‘life is easy’ mentality. 

Putting aside your ego to genuinely listen and learn from others in marginalised communities. Understanding that people come from all walks of life that can be different to your own experiences, and accepting them for that regardless. 

Music and art evoke emotions – and sometimes words alone aren’t enough to convey someone’s thoughts, feelings and experiences. 

I feel that the industry used to be a gatekeeper, however times are changing now in a big way. Fans are now ahead of the rest of the industry, and artists can now access those fans directly via their organic fanbases. The youth no longer want to be told what to listen to (probably because they spent some of their formative years in lockdown being told what to do with strict lockdown laws), and sadly more and more radio stations and media outlets are becoming redundant as a result of it. 

I grew up in the blog era which was also was a huge change at the time in how the industry was perceived with the rise of the internet’s popularity. The internet democratised music! Now anyone can release anything online. Too much maybe ha. 

If you are an artist performing at a show – at least ACT like you want to be there! People have paid money and travelled to come to see you perform – be grateful for them and put a bit of effort into it. The energy you bring on stage reflects in the audience’s energy, and vice versa. 

Be authentic. 

The whole “fake it till you make it” thing is real and happens more often than you think. There are a lot of people that I looked up to in the industry when I was younger that I realise now don’t actually know that much. Also the perks are good, but the lifestyle isn’t as glamorous as people think. You really need to be determined, consistent and resilient to do it, and do it out of passion. 

I’m very open about my mental health and my struggles with it – having dealt with anxiety and depression for as long as I can remember, and more recently ADHD. People who don’t know me that well are always so surprised whenever they find that out, because I mask it so well and am still highly functioning. Over time I’ve just learnt my own systems for how to deal with it best and put in place boundaries if necessary.

A big challenge I faced (and sometimes still do) is trying to figure out how much I do want to prioritise my own mental health, over work and vice versa. There would be times when I was a bit younger where I’d be almost rock bottom mentally, but then an artist or someone in the industry would call me and I’d have to fake a happy face and put my own problems on pause for a second to cater to other people’s wants and needs. I used to get scared of being viewed as “weak” in the workplace if I felt down, but I don’t really care as much about that now. Humans are supposed to feel emotions, address them and embrace them. Unless something is urgent then it can wait till after my menty b haha! People in the music industry expect you to be contactable at all times, which is so unhealthy – so it’s important to put in place boundaries for yourself.

Yes many times! Not so much anymore, but when I was younger I definitely struggled with imposter syndrome a lot. I would often undermine my achievements, feel undeserving of getting any opportunities, and feel insecure. It used to be so hard for me to accept any compliments! It honestly probably is part of the reason why I’m a big perfectionist – because I was scared to make mistakes and disappoint people. I am my own worst critic but it’s definitely something I’ve gotten better at over time!

Tips hmmm… for me it was just time and more experience that made me feel more confident about myself and my worth. Also surrounding myself with likeminded people where we all mutually respect, support and uplift each other. I really have a zero tolerance for dealing with dickheads and egomaniacs (but sadly there are so many of them in music!) 

A Real Housewife of Beverly Hills. 

Currently in the thick of finalising the lineups at the moment for Boiler Room Festivals in Melbourne & Sydney 2024! Should be announcing soon. Two of the headliners are DJs that I’ve seen play around the world a few times and it’s always a lot of fun! 

Defying Gravity from Wicked